Swinging and climbing exercise apparatus

ABSTRACT

An exercise apparatus includes a base frame having a rear track and a front column, a handle attached to the column for supporting a user, a lever includes an upper portion pivotally attached to an upper portion of the column and a lower portion movably engaged with the track of the base frame for guiding the lever to rotate relative to the column, and a support device is slidably and movably engaged with the lever for moving up and down along the lever and for allowing the user to conduct either the swinging exercise or the climbing or elevating exercise or to exercise or train either his upper muscle groups or his abdominal muscle groups with a single exercise machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a swinging and climbing or elevatingexercise apparatus or combination, and more particularly to an exerciseapparatus including a swinging structure and a climbing or elevatingstructure for allowing the user to conduct either the swinging exerciseor the climbing or elevating exercise with a single exercise apparatusor machine.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various kinds of typical exercise apparatuses have been developed andprovided for conducting or operating various exercise operations, suchas rotating, swinging, twisting, skiing or sliding exercises, andnormally comprise a foot pad or seat cushion for supporting the user.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,463 to Kleinnibbelink discloses one ofthe typical exercise apparatuses comprising a support brace disposed ona base frame, two shaft parts pivotally or rotatably attached or mountedto the support brace or the base frame, and a plate pivotally orrotatably attached or mounted to one of the shaft parts for conductingor operating the alpine skiing training operations.

However, the user may only twist or exercise or train his waist portiononly, but may not be used to conduct or operate the other exerciseoperations.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,389 to Chen discloses another typical exerciseapparatus comprising a mount slidably secured on an elongate slideplatform and a foot rest rotatably attached or mounted on top of themount for conducting or operating the sliding or twisting or skiingoperations, and a pair of foldable foot pedal bars for selectivelyoperating the stepping or climbing exercise operations.

However, the user may not exercise or train the muscle groups in hisabdominal portion or may not exercise or train his upper muscle groups.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,262 to Shih, U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,182 to Shih, U.S.Pat. No. 6,875,159 to Chuang, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,657 to Chuangdisclose several further typical exercise apparatuses each comprising arotary member pivotally or rotatably or swingably attached or mounted toa base frame for conducting or operating the twisting or rotating orswinging or skiing training operations.

However, similarly, the user may not exercise or train the muscle groupsin his abdominal portion or may not exercise or train his upper musclegroups, and the user may have to purchase another exercise apparatus toconduct or operate the other exercise operations.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional swinging or twistingexercise apparatuses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a swingingand climbing or elevating exercise apparatus including a swingingstructure and a climbing or elevating structure for allowing the user toconduct either the swinging or the climbing or elevating exercise with asingle exercise apparatus or machine.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided anexercise apparatus comprising a base frame including a track provided ina rear portion of the base frame, and including a column extendedupwardly from a front portion of the base frame, a handle attached tothe column for supporting a user, a lever including an upper portionpivotally attached to an upper portion of the column, and including alower portion movably engaged with the track of the base frame forguiding the lever to rotate relative to the column, and a support deviceslidably and movably engaged with the lever for moving up and down alongthe lever and for allowing the user to conduct or operate either theswinging exercise or the climbing exercise with a single exerciseapparatus or machine.

The lever includes a barrel attached to the upper portion of the leverand pivotally engaged with the upper portion of the column. The columnincludes an anchor attached to the upper portion of the column andengaged with the barrel for anchoring and positioning the upper portionof the lever to the upper portion of the column.

The lever includes at least one roller attached to the lower portion ofthe lever and movably engaged with the track of the base frame forguiding the lever to move along the track of the base frame.

The support device includes a casing slidably engaged with the lever,and a cushion disposed on the casing for supporting the user. Thesupport device includes at least one roller attached to the casing andengaged with the lever.

The lever includes two parallel rails secured together, and the supportdevice includes two shafts attached to the casing, and at least oneroller attached to each of the shafts and engaged with the rails of thelever.

The support device includes at least one roller attached to the casingand engaged with a bottom of the rails of the lever. A latch may furtherbe provided for selectively latching and locking the support device tothe lever.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of a swinging and climbing exerciseapparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the swinging and climbing exerciseapparatus;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views similar to FIG. 2, illustrating theoperation of the swinging and climbing exercise apparatus;

FIG. 5 is another partial exploded view illustrating the operation ofthe swinging and climbing exercise apparatus;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are side plan schematic view illustrating the climbingexercise or operation of the swinging and climbing exercise apparatus;and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views illustrating the operation of theswinging and climbing exercise apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, a swinging andclimbing or elevating exercise apparatus or combination in accordancewith the present invention comprises a supporting base or base frame 10including an arc or curved track 11 formed or provided in the rearportion 12 thereof, and including a support brace or column 13 extendedupwardly from the front portion 14 thereof, a hand grip or handle 15 mayfurther be provided and attached or mounted or secured on top of thecolumn 13 for supporting the upper portion of the user 80 (FIGS. 6, 7).It is preferable that a flange or stop or anchor 16 is attached ormounted or secured on the upper portion 17 of the column 13 (FIG. 1).

An arm or lever 30 includes an upper portion 31 having a tube or barrel32 attached or mounted or secured thereto, and the barrel 32 ispivotally or rotatably attached or mounted or secured onto the upperportion 17 of the column 13 and engaged with the anchor 16 which maystably anchor or position or retain the upper portion 31 of the lever 30to the upper portion 17 of the column 13, and the barrel 32 is arrangedand provided for allowing the lever 30 to be pivoted or rotated aroundor relative to the column 13. It is preferable, but not necessarily thatthe lever 30 includes one or more (such as two) parallel arcs or curvedrails 33 attached or mounted or secured together to form the stable orsolid structure for the lever 30.

The lever 30 includes one or more pulleys or wheels or rollers 34attached or mounted or secured to the other end or lower portion 35 ofthe lever 30 and slidably or movably engaged with the arc or curvedtrack 11 of the base frame 10 for stably guiding the lever 30 to pivotor rotate around or relative to the column 13 and for guiding the otherend or lower portion 35 of the lever 30 to move along the arc or curvedtrack 11 of the base frame 10. It is preferable that a bar 36 isattached or mounted or secured to the lower portion 35 of the lever 30for stably or solidly securing or coupling the lower portions of therails 33 of the lever 30 together and for supporting or attaching ormounting or securing the rollers 34, and/or a tube 37 is attached ormounted or secured to the upper portion 31 of the lever 30 for stably orsolidly securing or coupling the upper portions of the rails 33 of thelever 30 together.

A support device 50 includes a casing 51 having one or more (such astwo) rods or shafts 52 attached or mounted or secured to the lower orbottom portion of the casing 51, and having a pulley or wheel or roller53 attached or mounted or secured to each of the ends of the shafts 52and slidably or movably engaged with the upper portion of the rails 33of the lever 30 for allowing the casing 51 or the support device 50 tosmoothly move up and down along the rails 33 of the lever 30 (FIGS. 6,7). The support device 50 may further include one or more (such as two)further wheels or pulleys or rollers 54 attached or mounted or securedto the lower or bottom portion of the casing 51 and slidably or movablyengaged with the lower or bottom portion of the rails 33 of the lever 30for further stably or solidly securing or coupling the casing 51 or thesupport device 50 to the rails 33 of the lever 30, and may furtherinclude a cushion 55 disposed or attached or mounted or secured on thecasing 51 for softly and comfortably supporting the buttock portion, theknee portion, or the feet of the user 80.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, the user may hold the handle 15 andmay move the casing 51 or the cushion 55 or the support device 50 or theother end or lower portion 35 of the lever 30 along the arc or curvedtrack 11 of the base frame 10 in order to conduct the swinging orrotating or twisting exercises. As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the user 80 mayalso hold the handle 15 and may move the casing 51 or the support device50 up and down along the rails 33 of the lever 30 in order to exerciseor train his upper muscle groups; or, the user 80 may exercise or trainhis muscle groups in his abdominal portion in order to move the casing51 or the support device 50 up and down along the rails 33 of the lever30, such that the user 80 may exercise or train his upper muscle groupsand abdominal muscle groups with a single exercise apparatus or machine.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the user may also hold the handle 15 and maymove the casing 51 or the cushion 55 or the support device 50 or theother end or lower portion 35 of the lever 30 along the arc or curvedtrack 11 of the base frame 10, and simultaneously, the user may alsomove the casing 51 or the support device 50 up and down along the rails33 of the lever 30 in order to conduct the swinging or rotating ortwisting exercises and to exercise or train his upper muscle groups andabdominal muscle groups simultaneously.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a fastener or catch or latch 60 may furtherbe provided for selectively latching or locking or anchoring or securingor retaining the casing 51 or the support device 50 to the rails 33 ofthe lever 30 and for preventing the casing 51 or the support device 50from moving upwardly and downwardly along the rails 33 of the lever 30.However, the user 80 and the casing 51 or the support device 50 have atendency to move downwardly to the other end or lower portion 35 of therails 33 of the lever 30 due to the gravity force such that the latch 60is not necessarily be used to latch or lock or anchor or secure orretain the casing 51 or the support device 50 to the rails 33 of thelever 30. However, for safety purposes, the latch 60 may be provided forselectively latching or locking or anchoring or securing or retainingthe casing 51 or the support device 50 to the rails 33 of the lever 30and for preventing the casing 51 or the support device 50 from movingupwardly and downwardly along the rails 33 of the lever 30 by childrenor the other unauthorized persons inadvertently.

Accordingly, the swinging and climbing or elevating exercise apparatusin accordance with the present invention includes a swinging structureand a climbing or elevating structure for allowing the user to conducteither the swinging exercise or the climbing exercise with a singleexercise apparatus or machine.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. An exercise apparatus comprising: a base frame including a trackprovided in a rear portion of said base frame, and including a columnextended upwardly from a front portion of said base frame, a handleattached to said column for supporting a user, a lever including anupper portion pivotally attached to an upper portion of said column, andincluding a lower portion movably engaged with said track of said baseframe for guiding said lever to rotate relative to said column, and asupport device slidably and movably engaged with said lever for movingup and down along said lever.
 2. The exercise apparatus as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said lever includes a barrel attached to said upperportion of said lever and pivotally engaged with said upper portion ofsaid column.
 3. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 2, whereinsaid column includes an anchor attached to said upper portion of saidcolumn and engaged with said barrel for anchoring and positioning saidupper portion of said lever to said upper portion of said column.
 4. Theexercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lever includes atleast one roller attached to said lower portion of said lever andmovably engaged with said track of said base frame for guiding saidlever to move along said track of said base frame.
 5. The exerciseapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support device includes acasing slidably engaged with said lever, and a cushion disposed on saidcasing for supporting the user.
 6. The exercise apparatus as claimed inclaim 5, wherein said support device includes at least one rollerattached to said casing and engaged with said lever.
 7. The exerciseapparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said lever includes twoparallel rails secured together, and said support device includes twoshafts attached to said casing, and at least one roller attached to eachof said shafts and engaged with said rails of said lever.
 8. Theexercise apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said support deviceincludes at least one roller attached to said casing and engaged with abottom of said rails of said lever.
 9. The exercise apparatus as claimedin claim 1 further comprising a latch for selectively latching andlocking said support device to said lever.